DON’T CRY OVER CONFUSING AMENDMENTS.

Does looking at all the state amendments on your ballot this year kind of make you want to cry? Does seeing offshore drilling and indoor vaping bundled together make you LOL and/or roll your eyes? Us too.

There are so many amendments because this is an election after a Constitutional Review Commission convening. CRC members travel the state to hear what Floridians want to see amended in the constitution, and then decide which of those to put on the ballot, as well as some of their own initiatives. This only happens once every 20 years, and it’s probably the easiest way to get an item on the ballot, so CRC members crammed as many on there as they could.

The other key ways are for the legislature to propose an amendment, or for citizens to collect enough signatures to place it on the ballot.

You probably noticed that a couple of these amendments combine things that seem totally unrelated. The CRC bundled a bunch of proposed amendments because they worried there would otherwise be too many on your ballot. (Some folks say that they did this to be deliberately misleading. We’re not gonna take a stance on that.)

Thanks to reader Arun Ravindran and two other anonymous folks for their questions about the amendments.

FYI: We updated our post on the Miami-Dade school board referendum that we shared yesterday to add some info on how the plan will affect charter schools. Head here for the updated post. Thanks to reader Laura Lazar for writing in to ask about that.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE 305

Weekend plans, made. Whether you’re feeling bougie or you just want to stuff your face with carbs and deliciousness, we’ve got agendas for you: a luxe day in Bal Harbor or a comfort food crawl through Coconut Grove that kicks off at the reborn classic, Grove Bay Grill. Sorry, clean eating plans. And you’re welcome, decision fatigue. (PureWow, Eater)

Third option. But, if neither of those are your speed, we suggest a trip to Kendall to visit their new barcade, which serves 🍺. Bonus: if you go on the weekend, you probably won’t sit in traffic. Well, for the most part. (Miami.com)

Drama. Ousted Kairos CEO Brian Brackeen is being sued by his former company for theft, and he’s been accused of using company money to cover at least $60,000 in personal expenses. Kairos, a facial recognition software company, booted Brackeen last month, sending shockwaves through the local tech community. Kairos has been a darling of the Miami tech scene, and so has Brackeen, who ditched Silicon Valley for Miami years ago and has been singing the praises of our tech scene since then. The company says that his misuse of funds has undermined trust in the company. Brackeen denies all the allegations. (Miami Herald)

YOUR ELECTION WATCH

Scott has ordered more early voting days and more early voting locations for the eight counties hit hardest by Hurricane Michael, which are still lacking power, accessible roads, and are focused on rebuilding. Voters in those counties are also able to request that their mail-in ballots be mailed to addresses that don’t match their voter registration addresses. (Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel)

Billionaire Tom Steyer just announced another $2 million for Andrew Gillum’s campaign for governor. (CNN)

It’s looking less rosy for Donna Shalala, who faced a bunch of protesters earlier this week after it was announced that Rep. Barbara Lee would join her on some campaign stops. Lee, a California Democrat, praised Fidel Castro after his death. No bueno. (Miami Herald)

A couple years ago, there was lots of talk about the secretive Democratic nonprofit Florida Strong, which funds and supports Democratic candidates across the state but stays way under the radar. They’re still around, but now they’ve got some competition – for their name. There’s a new “Florida Strong” PAC on the scene funded by prominent right wingers and FPL, and they’re running tons of anti-Gillum ads. (Miami New Times)

share this:

EVENTS

OUR PARTNER EVENTS

🦀 Through Saturday: Kick off stone crab season with South Beach Seafood Festival, an epic week of pop-up cafes, fresh seafood, open bars, live music, culinary demonstrations, and more (Miami Beach)

✊🏿Friday: Learn how black politicians transformed Atlanta at the Black Lounge Film Series screening of MAYNARD (Overtown)

Going to one of these? Take us with you! Email a pic to [email protected] or tag @thenewtropic on Instagram. See more upcoming events on our events page, and add your own events with a New Tropic membership.

THAT’S ALL FOR THE WEEK.

Now get out there and have a great weekend – and tag us in your pics of you doing just that. 😉